LONDON — A prominent right-wing British politician has been accused of taking bribes in exchange for making pro-Russia statements while serving in the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, 51, appeared in a London court on Monday, though he did not provide a plea regarding the eight bribery charges and an additional charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Prosecutors allege that Gill, a former member of the European Parliament and past leader of the Reform U.K. party in Wales, was instructed by Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian official, to deliver statements that aligned with Russian interests on at least eight different occasions.
Richard Link, the prosecution’s attorney, stated that Gill had made remarks both in the European Parliament and in articles published in various news outlets that promoted a narrative sympathetic to Russia, particularly concerning the situation in Ukraine.
The alleged misconduct is said to have occurred between 2018 and 2020. Gill was detained at Manchester Airport on September 13, 2021, under the UK’s counterterrorism regulations, and following an extensive investigation, charges were filed against him last week.
During his court appearance via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Gill only confirmed his name, date of birth, and address. He was granted bail, with the next scheduled court hearing set for March 14.
Elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the anti-European Union U.K. Independence Party, Gill later represented the Brexit Party until the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020. In 2021, he served as the head of the Welsh faction of Reform U.K., the successor to the Brexit Party, but is no longer affiliated with the organization, according to party statements.
